Latest / Orthodontic Products Podcast / How to Know When It’s Time to Rebrand Your Practice
Transcript
- Alison Werner (00:05) Hello and welcome to the Orthodontic Products Podcast. I'm your host, Alison Werner. On today's episode, we're exploring what it really means to evolve your orthodontic practice brand and how to do it without losing the trust and recognition you've built over the years. A strong brand goes far beyond a logo or color palette. tells the story of who you are, what you stand for and the kind of patient experience you deliver. But as far as your practice grows and changes, that story needs to grow with it. Joining me to talk about how to navigate that process is Amy Epstein from People + Practice, a marketing consultancy that helps orthodontists grow through authentic branding and strategic communication. This conversation is an extension of Amy's article, "How to evolve your practice brand while protecting its legacy," the cover story for our November issue of Orthodontic Products. In our discussion, Amy breaks down what branding really means for orthodontic practices today, how to know when it's time for a refresh or a full rebrand, and how thoughtful communication can help you evolve your image while honoring your legacy. Here's our conversation. Alison Werner (01:04) Amy, it's so good to see you again. Thank you for joining me. Amy Epstein (01:08) It's a pleasure. Thank you for inviting me. I appreciate it. Alison Werner (01:10) Great. So let's get started. What does branding really mean for an orthodontic practice today? Amy Epstein (01:18) So I think people generally understand what an orthodontist does, for the most part. They know they're going to get straight teeth. In the more advanced knowledge, they know about a healthy bite. But Alison Werner (01:24) Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (01:33) To be honest, orthodontic services are a luxury service. They're a luxury good. So there's a long sales cycle. And what that means is that patients do their research ahead of time. And it also means that they experience the practice brand before they meet you. So there is a strong opportunity to build that, present it to them before they come to the office. The reason why that even matters, the reason why that's a good idea is because you're looking to connect with patients, with families who are the right fit for your practice. You're looking to offer a shortcut to them as to why they should choose you. Alison Werner (02:16) Okay. Amy Epstein (02:17) So the goal is to say, here's who we are, tell a unique story about the practice and why they should choose you. And then in the best case scenario, the people who are looking for that can be like, yes, that's where I need to be going. And that's what a brand does. It lives both inside the practice, but also when delivered consistently, lives outside the practice as well, and hopefully should shorten the time it takes for patients to decide to start because they already have that knowledge about your brand even before they set foot in the practice. Alison Werner (02:52) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And so most practices already have a brand whether they worked on it deliberately or did not they have a brand. So what kind of changes in a practice should prompt a conversation about updating the brand? Amy Epstein (03:12) So you're right, for the most part, practices already have a brand with the exception of startups. And we do see a lot of startups that are framing up their practice for the first time, and they need to consider that. you're right that for the most part, ⁓ practices already. Exactly, an established practice has a brand, and they'll also have those brand elements that go along with it, that deliver the brand, like the website and the logo, et cetera. Alison Werner (03:18) True. Okay. Yes. an established practice. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (03:41) So the one way that a practice knows that it's time to think about updating the brand is that when your progress as a practice outpaces the way it's being presented. So for example, ⁓ you have new doctors or doctors that aren't being represented in the brand somehow. You have ⁓ new treatment modalities and yet what you're talking about on the website or what the local looks like ⁓ incorporates brackets only. ⁓ What makes you different among the competition has changed because the competition has changed. That's one way that you would know that updating the brand is in order. Alison Werner (04:14) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (04:26) There's also a desire, for example, to reach a new demographic. Maybe the demographics have shifted and you're realizing that maybe you're not aligned with who you would like to be attracting as new patients, families to the practice. ⁓ And also, there is this sort of intangible thing where... Alison Werner (04:32) Right. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (04:48) It just feels outdated. It feels like it just needs an upgrade. And to a lesser degree, that's something to look at. you can also look at trigger points. So for example, ⁓ a new doctor comes into the practice. There is a sale. A partnership is established. A location change. Depending on how your practice is set up and what the components are of the brand. Alison Werner (04:49) Mm, okay. Okay. Amy Epstein (05:12) a location shift may actually impact a decision to change the name of a practice. We've seen that happen before, And lastly, I would say there are performance clues sometimes in the success of the practice that could lead to ⁓ the opportunity to look at the brand. Referrals are down. Conversion or engagement on the website dips even when the care is strong. And that might Alison Werner (05:26) Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (05:42) clue in a practice that there's a disconnect about what they're saying about themselves. That's the brands, the brands that they're presenting, and then what's actually happening inside the practice. Alison Werner (05:45) Okay. Mm-hmm. Okay, you touched on it there a little bit, just the fact that sometimes you need a refresh, but can you talk a little bit about the difference between a refresh and a rebrand? Amy Epstein (06:02) Sure. know, a refresh is often in order if something changes that, well, let's start with that whole, it feels a little outdated. It just, you know, there's a sense that we need to provide a little bit of a different image to match what's happening inside the practice. So that, you know, the good example is the treatment modalities thing, right? Like you would not just brackets and wires anymore. We also offer a aligner therapy. Alison Werner (06:12) Mm-hmm. Okay. Amy Epstein (06:32) ⁓ And so we'd like to represent that we provide all of these treatment modalities, yet the logo and what we talk about on the website all talks about brackets and wires. So in that case, we would say, okay, let's update what the messaging is and update maybe the visuals. ⁓ But for the most part, that would be a refresh. We're just glowing things up to keep pace with what the practice is doing. A rebrand is an entirely different thing. Alison Werner (06:40) Okay. ⁓ Okay. Amy Epstein (07:00) Those are often a function of some market change, some trigger. A practice was sold, the namesake of the practice perhaps is no longer practicing there, and there's an opportunity to shift things. ⁓ Even the demographic shift can ⁓ trigger a rebrand if there is enough evidence that. Alison Werner (07:12) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Amy Epstein (07:23) what you have on offer with your messaging and the way that you're presenting it is not resonating with those that are most, you know, the biggest opportunity for the practice. And we've seen that before too, just trying to shift maybe to more adults or, you know, that sort of thing, although it sounds like targeting a new audience might be in the refresh category. Alison Werner (07:29) Okay. Yeah. Amy Epstein (07:46) Often it's in the rebrand category because you really have to go in and think through how am I going to reach these people? How are we going to present ourselves to them such that it's a compelling ⁓ story and that they'll, like I said earlier, it'll resonate with them and it would shorten the cycle a little bit, get them to a start sooner. Alison Werner (07:48) Hmm. Yeah. Okay. And then for those practices that are seeing those evolutions in who they are and need that rebrand, how can they do it? How can they rebrand without losing that equity that they've built over time? Amy Epstein (08:21) That's a very good question. I think that it is ⁓ very desirable somehow for whatever reason, maybe because it's visual and it's fun, but to jump to the logo. And we're gonna redo the way we look and we feel. But it's really, in my experience, is that ⁓ it's in the communications first. So if a change is going to happen, Alison Werner (08:38) Mm-hmm. Mm, okay. Amy Epstein (08:49) What you want to do is tell your people, and by people I mean your team, patients, referring providers, the community, everybody in the orbit of the practice, a stakeholder, let's say. You want to tell them honestly what's happening. You want to tell them quickly, like not after changes are made. You want to tell them as soon as you decide that changes are going to be made and you've established what you're going to say in a way that makes sense. ⁓ Alison Werner (08:59) Mm-hmm. Okay. Mm. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (09:19) And you want to tell them frequently because we know that oftentimes that we need to be told, ourselves included, many times before a message sinks in. So let's put that into context. So ⁓ let's just say there's a doctor who's going to be retiring from clinical practice. a doctor's been there for 30 years. New doctor is coming in. Alison Werner (09:27) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right. Amy Epstein (09:45) you know, what you want to do is tell people with enough time to process it. You want to tell them honestly what's happening. You want to be able to, tell them in a way that makes sense for them, which means it's a different message to referring providers than it is to the community, than it is to the staff and it is to patients, right? So you have to figure out what is going to resonate. I would add that what I always advise is let's front end. Alison Werner (09:51) Right. Mm, okay, right. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (10:15) benefits. Let's talk about what some potential benefits are. So let's be honest and authentic, but let's reframe this. Put yourself in the shoes of the patient. How is this change going to affect them in a potentially positive way? And there's always a way to do that, always. So I would say it's the way to retain equity is in strategic and strong communications. And that will bridge that gap for you. Let you retain. Alison Werner (10:21) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (10:45) but also introduce the change in a way that people will understand and accept it. Alison Werner (10:50) Okay, so you know branding can feel really abstract to clinicians especially who are more focused on kind of treatment plans and outcomes. How do you help orthodontists connect the dots between the brand perception and measurable business results? Amy Epstein (11:08) Yeah, yeah. You know, I live in this world as a marketing person, as a branding person, where it could seem really fluffy. And that's fair. I get that. And especially ⁓ in a world where I'm in orthodontics, where it's a very precise discipline and specialty. We're working in millimeters here. And everything is measurable. Alison Werner (11:13) Right, yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (11:35) So I'll say that there are absolutely quantitative ways to evaluate business results as a function of brand. So the point of a strong brand, like I said earlier, we want to attract the right people ⁓ to the practice. And when they come in, they should be faster to start. So you can look at your conversion rates. You can look at the time it takes to convert, as well as two ways that Alison Werner (11:44) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (12:04) that help to indicate success in a branding ⁓ initiative. There are also these secondary quantitative metrics like ⁓ engagement on the website. So how long it takes or how much people are actually doing the things you want them to do on the website because what you're saying there resonates with them. So if you do some advertising and you bring them to your website and you get the right people and you're saying the right thing to them, Alison Werner (12:07) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (12:32) you should be able to convert them into appointments, into exams at a higher rate than you were able to do prior. ⁓ that's from a quantitative side. And there's all sorts of other smaller, substantiating quantitative ways to ⁓ evaluate the effectiveness of branding. One more that I'll say, it's sort of between quantitative and qualitative, is that reviews should be stronger. Alison Werner (12:48) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (13:01) Because if you are delivering what the expectation is, so there's a match again between who you're attracting, what you're promising to them, and then what you're delivering, then they're getting exactly what they want. And they should be, when asked, more readily ⁓ ready to give a review for the practice that's strong. quantitative. On the qualitative side, there really should be Alison Werner (13:02) Mmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay. Yeah. Amy Epstein (13:29) an improved word of mouth when you hear, you know, that, how did you come to us? A lot of people say, you know, for a friend, you know, that that mentioned you doesn't mean they're not doing additional research, but there should be improved word of mouth. ⁓ And then, you know, the the other thing is that let's not forget that staff morale. Alison Werner (13:39) Yeah. Right. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (13:52) And being able to circle around something you're proud of is important to a team, all of us, right? Like we all want to be feeling like we're working for and toward something that we're really proud of. And sometimes that a refreshed brand or a rebrand can bring that to a team. So it can help with longevity. that, you know, those are some of the more qualitative things, but I think together there are a lot of metrics that can. Alison Werner (13:57) Mm. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (14:18) evaluate the success of a rebrand or refreshed brand. Alison Werner (14:21) Yeah. Well, going back to that kind of patient feedback or those patient reviews, how can practices kind of use that feedback or those reviews to make their brand reflect, make sure their brand brand reflects the patient experience that they're actually delivering? Amy Epstein (14:38) Yeah, that's a very good question. ⁓ When we are advising on a refresh or rebrand or whatever, if you're thinking about ⁓ doing that, we always do some research first. It's never like, OK, you think you need to rebrand, let's rebrand. And so to that point, one of the things that we look to do is to gather insight from patients. gather insight from referring providers and understand what is it about this practice that makes it a place that we decided on and where we're happy and that will ⁓ promote to our friends as somewhere that they should go. So it always starts with discovery. So reviews are a great place to look to see ⁓ what patients feel about the practice. And then, let me take a step back. So the reviews play a really good part because Alison Werner (15:09) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (15:36) in figuring out what the brand should be because that is what patients value. And when you're building a brand, whether it's an orthodontic brand or any brand really, there are three things that you sort of need to triangulate in order to nail what you should be talking about, your unique value proposition, what makes you different. One of them is just like what you said, what patients value. And you can see that from the reviews and you can pull that from talking to... Alison Werner (15:42) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (16:04) patience and understanding why they chose you. Another is of those three that we're looking to sort of do a little Venn diagram. The other, one of the others is to understand what you do well. What's your core competency? Are we the practice that, you know, offers the most convenience? Are we the practice that offers the most treatment modalities? Are we the practice that's great with kids? Like, what is it about us that we can say about ourselves as we build this story that we can consistently deliver on? Alison Werner (16:12) Yeah. Right. Mm. Yeah. Right. Amy Epstein (16:33) You gotta be able to do it if you're gonna say it, right? So we have the patience value part, we have the what we do really well, and then third part is what's the competition doing and saying? Because anything that we talk about with regard to branding has to be different from what competitors are saying. You don't wanna be saying the same thing, right? Even if it's really good and it's what patience value and what you deliver on, because if it's not differentiated, then it doesn't advance the goal of the brand, which is to give people a way Alison Werner (16:50) Right. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Amy Epstein (17:03) to choose you over someone else. you know, the reviews play a big part, but so does that understanding of who you are and who the competition is to. Alison Werner (17:12) Mm-hmm. Yeah, OK. So and then what role do team members play in shaping or maintaining a consistent brand identity? Amy Epstein (17:26) Brand is one part what you're saying about yourself, but most of it is how you're delivering it. So there is on-site and there is the online bits. Say whatever you want online, but it's the team that's delivering on that message. And that's really why the core competency part of that equation about how you define who the practice is really needs to be at Alison Werner (17:30) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Amy Epstein (17:54) in large part about the staff and what they feel they can consistently deliver on. So they play a large part in defining what the brand should be moving forward, but also in delivering on it. And so, you know, we talked a little bit earlier about being proud of the brand and proud of what you are, who you're working for and what you're delivering to the community. Alison Werner (17:57) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Amy Epstein (18:21) And so being part of it in the very beginning is super important to getting that engagement from them long-term. And then actually the delivery of that promise of the brand, because it is so largely on the shoulders of the team to do that. But if you are authentic about it and say, this is what we do, this is what we do really well, it shouldn't be a lift to deliver what the brand promise is when they're actually on site. And it should connect with what Alison Werner (18:31) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (18:51) you're promising and promoting online. Alison Werner (18:54) Yeah. Okay. So if an orthodontist who's listening realizes that their brand feels outdated or inconsistent, what's the first step they should take to start evolving in a thoughtful kind of strategic way? Amy Epstein (19:09) I think it's doing that process of really understanding what their unique value is. So I would say start talking to patients, start talking to the team. What is it that you value? Start looking at the competition, do a little competitive analysis and see, because it probably has changed since the practice has first been in the community, right? Like who's here now? What are they saying about themselves? And then ⁓ Alison Werner (19:29) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Right. Yeah. Amy Epstein (19:39) you know, understanding what, what the, what patient, what patients value. So triangulating those three things like, what are we doing here that we do really well? Like, what are we about? ⁓ and it's a nice way to team build as well. When you start talking to your teams, I value your opinion. Let's really, you know, settle in and talk about what we do every day that makes us who we are. ⁓ so I would say Alison Werner (19:45) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (20:07) Do those things, figure out who the competition is, figure out who you are and talk to patients and referring providers and find out what the perception is. Align those and figure out, okay, this is what we're gonna say about ourselves. And then the second part of that is, okay, well, where are we right now? And where are the gaps in being able to consistently do? Alison Werner (20:11) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Amy Epstein (20:33) this promise that we are saying we're going to make as the core of our brand and then fill those gaps because the quickest way to break apart a brand is really not to deliver on the promise. And so any holes in the delivery of that brand promise need to be plugged before that's rolled out. Alison Werner (20:47) Mm-hmm. And then finally, for those orthodontists who are maybe hesitant to make changes, what would you say to reassure them that evolving their brand doesn't mean that they're abandoning their legacy? Amy Epstein (21:09) That's a really good question. ⁓ In a thoughtful rebrand or refresh, there's almost always a nod to the legacy brand, nod to the legacy if this is a brand that maybe ⁓ one of the doctors retired and is a new doctor. There's almost always, because the heritage of a practice is still there in person and there's equity in the history. Alison Werner (21:38) Right. Amy Epstein (21:38) That's what got the practice to where it is today. Acknowledging the points of heritage that still have equity in the community, still the reasons why people choose the practice, and then bringing that into the messaging, and then next bringing it into the visuals is a way to have a through line where you're not abandoning, you're just looking ahead using what Alison Werner (21:41) Mm-hmm. Amy Epstein (22:08) has worked, but really looking forward to what your practice does now so that you can actually say things that are more relevant and more true and more authentic to who the practice is right now. you know, it's part messaging and part visuals in order to honor that legacy. Alison Werner (22:18) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, and so if people are interested in working with you and don't want to do this on their own, how can they get in touch or learn more? Amy Epstein (22:34) Well, if you want to learn more about people in practice, you can visit our website, which is PPL practice.com. can be reached at Amy at PPL practice.com. So AMY at PPL practice.com. Be happy to sit down, understand where your practices today and what your goals are and see if we can help support get you to where you're looking to go. Alison Werner (22:56) Great. And be sure to read Amy's full article on Orthodontic Products online and in our November issue. Thanks for being with me, Amy. I appreciate it. Take Amy Epstein (23:05) Thanks Alison. Yes, thanks. Take care.